Portland loves to go first. So it doubtless smarts for many in the bicycle community to know that Portland has yet to launch a bike-sharing program, offering kiosks where bikes can be rented for short-hop trips here and there.

But hold on, Portland. Maybe it's just as well that the city is pedaling a little bit behind the pack on this one.

We say this, not because bike-sharing is likely to be a dud here, but because Portland can learn from observing how these programs unfold in other cities. And it should soften the competitive sting to know that a Southeast Portland company, Alta Bike Share, is actually leading the charge nationwide -- and running some of these programs.

The jaw-dropping news in Portland bike circles this week was not the fact that Cycle Oregon was taking place on the West Coast, but that Alta had won a coveted contract back east. Alta will be operating what may turn out to be the largest bike-sharing program yet in the country, in New York City. If all goes well, it will have 600 rental stations, 10,000 bicycles and $50 million to $60 million in sponsorships.

Mia Birk, a principal in Alta Bike Share, never dreamed when she joined Alta Planning + Design in 1999 that it would spin off a second company, Alta Bike Share; that it would have a national, even international, presence; or that it would have to ramp up, suddenly, this fall by adding 200 employees in New York City.

In fact, Birk didn't know you could make a living out of bike consulting; Alta helped to pioneer the specialty. The challenges that Alta faces in New York are formidable, in part because the city has placed impressively stringent standards on bike-sharing. The program will not use public money, the city has said, but must be backed by private sponsorships and membership fees.

Positioning the kiosks is another issue; the city is adamant that, to the greatest extent possible, the kiosks not require removal of parking spaces or excavation of city streets. Also, in its request for proposals, the city imposed some profit-sharing requirements, too.

Portland needs to drive a hard bargain, as well, in the design of its program. It's not a good sign that the City Council is looking to apply $2 million in federal flexible transportation funds toward bike-sharing. (This is not a done deal, though; the Metro Council won't be voting on this until December).

It's a huge source of pride, of course, that Portland has been a bike pioneer, and that Alta is now gaining altitude. But better than being first is being the least expensive. Being the smartest. Being the best.